Ni No Kuni 2 Gameplay Hands-On Impressions from E3 2017

Fans of the first Ni No Kuni will likely already be excited for Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom. The burgeoning series has made its mark within the JRPG genre thanks to its unique nature and exceptional storytelling and atmosphere. With a solid pedigree behind it thanks to Level 5 and Studio Ghibli, whose animators and musician are still on board with this sequel despite the studio itself closing up, Ni No Kuni 2 should be on every JRPG fans’ most anticipated list for 2017, and here’s why.

You can check out some Ni No Kuni 2 gameplay down below along with my impressions a short while after playing it. Basically the combat isn’t quite stellar just yet, with the developer taking this sequel as a chance to totally reinvent some core aspects of the series. Familiars are out, real time combat is in. This doesn’t necessarily result in a worse outing, but it’s not particularly memorable just yet. Thankfully few were coming to Ni No Kuni 2 for the combat.

Instead what my time with this sequel showed me was that the team is still working in that signature Level 5 and Studio Ghibli charm. Before I got to go hands on with the game I sat in a presentation all about it. Here is where I learned about the returning personnel from Ghibli, as well as some important details about the game that made the somewhat lackluster demo not all that impactful on my view of the game.

Using a blend of Western and Eastern RPG development styles, the makers of Ni No Kuni 2 “challenged themselves to exceed everything from the first game.” So far I can’t say if they succeeded, but they don’t have to for Ni No Kuni 2 to be a fantastic JRPG anyway. What is clear is that they didn’t rest on the success of the first game, or simply try to replicate it. They went in and did a lot to change things, as you can see in the video below.